


Drink to Forget

by velvetjinx



Series: The Dates Series [10]
Category: Welcome to Night Vale
Genre: Alcohol, Angst, Carlos is Human, Cecil is Human, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-06
Updated: 2013-12-06
Packaged: 2018-01-03 16:25:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1072635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/velvetjinx/pseuds/velvetjinx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are things in Carlos's past that he'd rather forget.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Drink to Forget

Cecil was worried. 

Carlos was not answering his phone. While this did still happen occasionally when Carlos was engrossed in something Science and his phone wasn't on him at the time, it had become a very rare occurrence. Cecil hadn't worried at first, and had instead called the lab, only to be told that Carlos had called in sick that day. 

That was when Cecil had started to worry. But he had been about to start his show, so he had to try and ignore the feeling until he had finished the show. Finally, after what seemed like an age, it was done and Cecil jumped into his car and sped off towards Carlos's lab. 

He was let in by one of the younger members of Carlos's team, and ran up the stairs to the apartment, only to find that the spare key was not in its usual place. Knocking got no response, so Cecil knocked again. And again. 

Finally, the door swung open to reveal Carlos, and Cecil almost reeled backwards in shock. Carlos was unshaven, his eyes bloodshot, and in his left hand he held a half empty bottle of brandy. 

"Cecil?" he croaked, blinking. "What are you doing here?"

"You...you weren't answering your phone. I was worried."

"Oh." Carlos looked lost, and Cecil's heart hurt to see it. 

"Can I come in?" he asked, and Carlos nodded, moving aside to let Cecil in.

The sitting room was dark, lit only by the cracks of light peeking through the closed curtains. An empty brandy bottle sat on the coffee table, which Cecil was sure had been nearly half full last time he'd been over, and as Carlos brushed past him Cecil could smell the alcohol coming off of him. 

"Have you been drinking all day?" Cecil asked softly, unsure how to act around this Carlos. 

Carlos grunted as he sat, taking a swig from the bottle in his hand. "I guess."

"Any particular reason?" 

Carlos looked up at him with bleary eyes. "The crash was ten years ago today."

Oh. Carlos had mentioned that he had lost his family - mother, father and younger sister - in a car accident during his postgraduate study, but Cecil hadn't realised that Carlos was still mourning them like...like this. 

"Carlos, my Carlos, I'm so sorry. But do you really think that drinking yourself into a stupor is the way to deal with this?"

"It's worked every other year," Carlos said, glaring, and oh, did that mean that last year Carlos did the same thing, except that last year he didn't have anyone to check on him? Cecil felt as though the bottom had dropped out from his stomach. "Gotta say, this is new," Carlos continued, gesturing with the bottle. "Usually I'd be drinking a bottle of Jack, but because of the wheat and wheat by-products ban I figured this would have to do." 

"Have you eaten at all today?" Cecil asked.

"Don't need food. Got this." Carlos shook the bottle vaguely at Cecil, then took another swig, almost falling backwards into the sofa as he did so. Brandy ran down his chin onto his flannel shirt, and Cecil thought he might cry at the sight. 

Acting on impulse, Cecil marched over to the sofa and snatched the bottle from Carlos, taking it through to the kitchen. 

"Hey!" Carlos slurred angrily. "That's mine! Give it back."

"No," Cecil said decidedly. "This is going down the sink. You've had enough for one day."

Carlos staggered up to Cecil and tried to wrestle the bottle off of him, but his drunken state lacked coordination and soon he had to admit defeat. 

"Fine, whatever. Take it. I'll just go get another one," he muttered defiantly, and began to walk towards the door. Cecil caught him around the waist before he could get too far. 

"Not happening, Carlos." He held on while Carlos struggled, then went limp in his arms. "You're not going anywhere. Can't...can't you just talk to me about it? Rather than trying to drink yourself unconscious?" 

"What is there to talk about?" Carlos asked, his voice wavering. "They're dead and I'm still here. Maybe I should have been in that car with them."

"What? Hey, no, Carlos." Cecil let go long enough to turn Carlos to face him, then gripped his shoulders. "Don't think that. Don't _ever_ think that, okay? I love you and I can't imagine my life without you; don't ever wish that you weren't here."

Carlos drew in a shaky breath, then started to cry. Cecil, at a loss for what else to do, hugged his boyfriend tightly, murmuring "Shh," and "hey, it's going to be okay" until the sobs ceased. 

"Sorry," Carlos sniffed, his voice thick. 

"Don't be," Cecil said, trying to make his voice as comforting as possible. "I'm going to get you a glass of water and then we're going to get you in bed, alright?"

Carlos nodded, and wrapped his arms around himself while Cecil fetched him the water. He watched while Carlos drank half of it down, then led him through to the bedroom. Cecil helped Carlos strip down to his boxers, then did the same, climbing in to bed beside him and holding him as he lay on Cecil's chest. 

They lay there for a while in silence, until Cecil thought Carlos had gone to sleep. He closed his eyes and was just drifting off when Carlos said,

"You think it'll get easier, but it doesn't. I lost my whole family in a single moment. It takes its toll."

Cecil tightened his arms briefly, kissing the top of Carlos's head. "I know it's tough. But you don't have to drink any more. It's not healthy. You can come to me and I'll help you through it, okay?"

"Okay," Carlos murmured sleepily, and Cecil ran his fingers through the hair at the back of Carlos's neck. 

"Good. Now sleep, okay?" 

"Sleep sounds good." Carlos's voice was faint, and Cecil waited until his breathing evened out before he, too, slept.

**Author's Note:**

> Ugh this was really tough to write. Oh well. Unbeta'd again, so let me know if you spot any mistakes!


End file.
